Read Mahabharata Vol. 3 (Penguin Translated Texts) Online
Authors: Bibek Debroy
Mahabharata Vol. 3 (Penguin Translated Texts) (4 page)
Bibek Debroy
The third volume completes the Vana Parva, the account of the Pandavas’ sojourn in the forest. It details the dharma obtained from, and descriptions of, places of pilgrimage. It recounts the stories of Agastya, Rishyashringa, Kartavirya, Sukanya and Chyavana, Mandhata, Jantu, Shibi, Ashtavakra, Yavakrita, Jatasura, and Markandeya. The narrative covers Arjuna’s slaying of the nivatakavacha demons; the Kouravas’ defeat at the hands of the gandharvas and their subsequent release by the Pandavas; Droupadi’s abduction by Jayadratha and rescue by the Pandavas; and Indra’s visit to Karna to rob him of his earrings and armour.
Tirtha-yatra Parva
This parva has 2294 shlokas and seventy-four chapters.
Chapter 377(80): 133 shlokas
Chapter 378(81): 178 shlokas
Chapter 379(82): 143 shlokas
Chapter 380(83): 114 shlokas
Chapter 381(84): 19 shlokas
Chapter 382(85): 23 shlokas
Chapter 383(86): 24 shlokas
Chapter 384(87): 15 shlokas
Chapter 385(88): 30 shlokas
Chapter 386(89): 22 shlokas
Chapter 387(90): 24 shlokas
Chapter 388(91): 28 shlokas
Chapter 389(92): 22 shlokas
Chapter 390(93): 27 shlokas
Chapter 391(94): 27 shlokas
Chapter 392(95): 24 shlokas
Chapter 393(96): 20 shlokas
Chapter 394(97): 27 shlokas
Chapter 395(98): 24 shlokas
Chapter 396(99): 21 shlokas
Chapter 397(100): 24 shlokas
Chapter 398(101): 17 shlokas
Chapter 399(102): 23 shlokas
Chapter 400(103): 19 shlokas
Chapter 401(104): 22 shlokas
Chapter 402(105): 25 shlokas
Chapter 403(106): 40 shlokas
Chapter 404(107): 25 shlokas
Chapter 405(108): 19 shlokas
Chapter 406(109): 20 shlokas
Chapter 407(110): 36 shlokas
Chapter 408(111): 22 shlokas
Chapter 409(112): 18 shlokas
Chapter 410(113): 25 shlokas
Chapter 411(114): 26 shlokas
Chapter 412(115): 30 shlokas
Chapter 413(116): 29 shlokas
Chapter 414(117): 18 shlokas
Chapter 415(118): 23 shlokas
Chapter 416(119): 22 shlokas
Chapter 417(120): 30 shlokas
Chapter 418(121): 23 shlokas
Chapter 419(122): 27 shlokas
Chapter 420(123): 23 shlokas
Chapter 421(124): 24 shlokas
Chapter 422(125): 23 shlokas
Chapter 423(126): 43 shlokas
Chapter 424(127): 21 shlokas
Chapter 425(128): 19 shlokas
Chapter 426(129): 22 shlokas
Chapter 427(130): 20 shlokas
Chapter 428(131): 32 shlokas
Chapter 429(132): 20 shlokas
Chapter 430(133): 27 shlokas
Chapter 431(134): 39 shlokas
Chapter 432(135): 42 shlokas
Chapter 433(136): 18 shlokas
Chapter 434(137): 20 shlokas
Chapter 435(138): 19 shlokas
Chapter 436(139): 24 shlokas
Chapter 437(140): 17 shlokas
Chapter 438(141): 30 shlokas
Chapter 439(142): 28 shlokas
Chapter 440(143): 21 shlokas
Chapter 441(144): 27 shlokas
Chapter 442(145): 43 shlokas
Chapter 443(146): 81 shlokas
Chapter 444(147): 41 shlokas
Chapter 445(148): 39 shlokas
Chapter 446(149): 52 shlokas
Chapter 447(150): 28 shlokas
Chapter 448(151): 15 shlokas
Chapter 449(152): 25 shlokas
Chapter 450(153): 31 shlokas
377(80)The chapters have two numbers, the first being the sequential numbering of the chapters right from the beginning. The second one, the number within brackets, is the sequential numbering of the chapters within Aranyaka Parva.
Tirtha
means a sacred place of pilgrimage and yatra means a journey. This section is thus primarily about the journey to sacred places of pilgrimage like Pushkara, Prabhasa, Dvaravati, Vinasana, Rudrakoti, Kurukshetra, Mrigadhuma, Naimisha, Saptasarasvata, Prithudaka, Samnihiti, Shakambhari, Suvarnaksha, Varanasi, Gaya, Shalagrama, Rishabha, Gokarna, Prayaga, Gandhamadana and Kailasa. It also has the stories of Agastya, Indra and Vritra, Sagara and Bhagiratha, Rishyashringa, Parashurama and Kartyavirya, Chyavana and Sukanya, Mandhata, Jantu, Shibi Ushinara, Ashtavakra, Yavakrita and the account of the encounter between Hanuman and Bhima.
Vaishampayana said, ‘Anxious on Dhananjaya’s account, the immensely fortunate and
maharatha
1
Pandavas lived in the forest with Droupadi. Then they saw there the great-souled
devarshi
2
Narada. He was radiant with the resplendence of the
brahman
3
and his energy was like that of the blazing fire. The supreme one among the Kurus
4
was surrounded by his illustrious brothers and shone brilliantly, like Shatakratu
5
surrounded by the gods. Just as
savitri
6
does not forsake the Vedas and the sun’s rays do not forsake Meru,
7
the faithful Yajnaseni
8
followed dharma and did not abandon the Parthas.
9
O unblemished one!
10
The illustrious
rishi
11
Narada accepted their homage and appropriately comforted Dharma’s son.
12
He spoke these words to great-souled Dharmaraja
13
Yudhishthira. “O supreme among those who uphold dharma! Tell me what will accomplish your purpose. What will I give you?” Then Dharma’s son, the king, bowed in obeisance with his brothers, and with hands joined in salutation, told the divine Narada, “O immensely fortunate one! O one who is worshipped by all the worlds! O one whose vows are great! If you are satisfied, I think everything has been accomplished through your grace. O unblemished
one! O supreme among sages! But if you wish to show a favour to me and my brothers, please dispel a doubt that has arisen in my heart. Tell me what merits are obtained by someone who circles the earth
14
and visits all the tirthas? O brahmana! Please tell me this in detail.”
‘Narada replied, “O king! O descendant of the Bharata lineage! Listen attentively to what Bhishma heard from Pulastya.
15
Hear it in detail. In earlier times, Bhishma, supreme among those who uphold dharma, was observing a vow for his father
16
on the banks of the Bhagirathi,
17
like a hermit. O great king! This was a pure and sacred region and was frequented by the devarshis. The immensely energetic one was at the mouth of the Ganga, in a place frequented by gods and
gandharva
s.
18
The immensely radiant one made offerings to the ancestors and the gods and satisfied the rishis in accordance with the prescribed rituals. After some time, when the immensely famous one was meditating, he saw the supreme rishi Pulastya, whose appearance was extraordinary. On seeing that terrible ascetic, blazing in fortune, he was extremely delighted and overcome by wonder. O great king! O descendant of the Bharata lineage! Bhishma, best among those who uphold dharma, worshipped him in accordance with the prescribed rituals. He purified himself and concentrated his mind. He placed the
arghya
19
on his head and announced his name to the
supreme among brahmarshis. ‘O fortunate one whose vows are great! I am your slave Bhishma. At the mere sight of you, I have been cleansed of all my sins.’ O great king! O Yudhishthira! Having said this, Bhishma, supreme among those who uphold dharma, became silent and controlled his speech. He joined his hands in salutation. On seeing that Bhishma, best among those of the Kuru lineage, had become emaciated because of the rituals and the studying, the sage was pleased in his mind.
‘“Pulastya said, ‘O one who is knowledgeable about dharma! O immensely fortunate one! I am entirely satisfied with your humility, self-control and devotion to the truth. O unblemished one! O son! It is because of your dharma and because of your devotion to your father that you have been able to see me. I am extremely pleased with you. O Bhishma! My vision is unrestricted. Tell me what I can do for you. O best of the Kurus! O unblemished one! I will give you whatever you ask for.’
‘“Bhishma replied, ‘O immensely fortunate one! O one who is worshipped by all the worlds! O lord! If you are pleased with me and I have been able to see you, I think that all my tasks have been accomplished. O supreme among those who uphold dharma! If I have obtained your favour, I will tell you about a doubt in my heart. Please dispel it. O illustrious one! A doubt exists about the dharma that comes from the tirthas. I wish to hear about this from you, separately for each of them. Please tell me. O brahmana rishi! O infinitely valorous one! O one blessed with the riches of austerities! Tell me what merits are obtained by circling the earth.’
‘“Pulastya said, ‘O son! Listen to me with an attentive mind. I will recount to you the fruits from the tirthas, the ultimate goal of all the rishis. He who has controlled his hands, feet and mind and he who has learning, asceticism and deeds, obtains the fruits of the tirthas. He who is satisfied, controlled and pure, does not receive gifts
20
and has restrained his ego, obtains the fruits of the tirthas. He who is without deceit, without undertakings,
21
eats lightly,
controls his senses and is freed from all sins, obtains the fruits of the tirthas. O Indra among kings! He who is without anger, truthful in conduct and firm in his vows and who regards all beings as his own self, obtains the fruits of the tirthas. In due order, the rishis have recounted in the Vedas all the fruits from sacrifices, exactly as they occur, in this life and the afterlife. O lord of the earth! The poor cannot perform these sacrifices. Sacrifices require many objects and a lot of ingredients in large quantities. Kings can attain them and so can some rich men. They cannot be attained by those without riches, without objects, without means and those who are alone. O lord of men! But listen to what the poor can obtain, the supreme equal of the fruits of sacred sacrifices. O supreme among those of the Bharata lineage! This is the supreme mystery of the rishis, the pure merit from visiting tirthas, superior even to sacrifices. He who has not fasted for three nights, not visited tirthas and not donated gold and cattle, is known as poor. The fruits obtained from
agnishtoma
22
and other sacrifices, with large quantities of donations, are inferior to those obtained from visiting tirthas.’
‘“There is in the world of men a tirtha of the god of the gods. It is famous in the three worlds and is known by the name of Pushkara.
23
Those who are immensely fortunate go there. O lord of the earth! At the time of the three
sandhya
s,
24
ten thousand crores of tirthas can be found in Pushkara. O lord! Adityas,
25
Vasus,
26
Rudras,
27
the Sadhyas,
28
with the Maruts
29
and gandharvas and
apsara
s
30
are always present there. O great king! It was there that the gods, demons and brahmarshis performed austerities and attained great merits and celestial
yoga
.
31
Even if one only desires Pushkara in one’s mind, all the sins of that intelligent one are cleansed and he is revered in the vault of heaven. The immensely fortunate grandfather
32
always dwells there, happily worshipped by the gods and the demons. O immensely fortunate one! It was in Pushkara that the gods, with the rishis at the forefront, attained salvation and great merits. The learned ones say that he who bathes there and worships the gods and the ancestors, obtains ten times the merits of an
ashvamedha.
33
O Bhishma! He who goes to Pushkara forest and feeds only a single brahmana, obtains through that deed happiness in this life and the afterlife. If he himself survives on vegetables, roots and fruits and faithfully and respectfully offers that to a brahmana, that wise man obtains the fruits of a horse sacrifice. O
supreme among kings! Great-souled brahmanas, kshatriyas, vaishyas and shudras who bathe in this tirtha are not reborn as inferior species. O bull among the Bharata lineage! A man who specially goes to Pushkara at the time of the full moon in the month of Kartika extends his merits and they become inexhaustible. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! He who joins his hands in salutation and remembers Pushkara in the morning and the evening attains the fruits of bathing in all the tirthas. That man obtains Brahma’s eternal world, without decay. Whatever sins a woman or a man has committed since birth are all instantly destroyed from bathing in Pushkara. O king! Just as Madhusudana
34
is the origin of all the gods, Pushkara is known as the origin of all the tirthas. He who lives constantly and purely in Pushkara for twelve years obtains all the sacrifices
35
and attains Brahma’s world. He who performs
agnihotra
36
for one hundred years and he who lives in Pushkara on the night of the full moon in Kartika are like equals. It is difficult to go to Pushkara. It is difficult to perform austerities in Pushkara. It is difficult to donate in Pushkara. It is extremely difficult to live there.
‘“Having lived in Pushkara for twelve nights, restrained and with a controlled diet, one should circumambulate it and go to Jambumarga.
37
Jambumarga is frequented by the gods, the rishis and the ancestors and once one has entered, one obtains the fruits of a horse sacrifice and goes to Vishnu’s world. A man who lives there for five nights and eats once in three days never confronts calamity and achieves supreme success. Having left Jambumarga, one goes to Tandulikashrama and never confronts calamity, being worshipped in heaven. O king! He who goes to Agastya’s
38
lake and engages himself in worshipping the ancestors and the gods, residing there for
three nights, obtains the merits of an agnishtoma.
39
He lives there on vegetables and fruits and obtains the supreme abode of Kumara.
40
He then reaches Kanva’s
41
hermitage, full of prosperity and worshipped in the world. O bull among the Bharata lineage! From the beginning, that has been a sacred forest, full of dharma. As soon as one enters there, one is freed from all sins. He who restrains himself and controls his diet there, worshipping the ancestors and the gods, obtains all the objects of desire and the fruits of all sacrifices. Having circumambulated it, one should go to the place where Yayati fell.
42
This gives one the merits from a horse sacrifice. Restrained and controlled in diet, one should then go to Mahakala.
43
Having bathed in Kotitirtha,
44
one obtains the fruits of a horse sacrifice. One who is learned in dharma should then go to the sacred place of Uma’s consort.
45
This is famous in the three worlds by the name of Bhadravata.
46
Having gone there and seen Ishana,
47
he obtains the fruits of donating one thousand cows. Through Mahadeva’s
48
grace, he obtains the status of a
ganapatya.
49